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DRUG INNOVATION FUND NOW OPEN

Wednesday, 16 November 2016

State Member for Holsworthy, Melanie Gibbons MP, is encouraging non-government organisations (NGO’s) in the Liverpool region, who are working in the drug and alcohol sector, to enter an expression of interest in the Government’s Early Intervention Innovation Fund.

The Early Intervention Innovation Fund will provide $8 million over four years to build the evidence base for early intervention models, to support people at risk with a particular focus on young people using drugs.

The Early Intervention Innovation Fund provides two funding pathways including:

• The Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Evaluation Grants – focusing on building the evaluation capacity of NGOs to evaluate existing programs to build an evidence base and ultimately improve program delivery. Grants of $30,000 to $150,000 will be provided over two years.

• The Alcohol and Drug Early Intervention Innovation Grants – which allows NGO’s and their partners, including the NSW health system, to drive new innovative approaches for the delivery of early intervention to vulnerable young people. Grants of $50,000 to $1 million over two years will be awarded.

Ms Gibbons said that it was a great opportunity for NGO’s in the Liverpool Area to develop new and innovative ideas to increase and improve early intervention services for young people in the community – especially in trying to combat the useage of methamphetamines (ICE) in our local area.

“I would like to encourage NGO’s within the community to apply for these grants, so we can reach out to young people in our community and prevent them from going down the path of addiction,” Ms Gibbons said.

“This fund is one component of the Government’s record investment in Drug & Alcohol services and shows our commitment to investing in services that will make a real impact in stopping drug abuse before it happens.”

Assistant Minister for Health Pru Goward said the Government is building a system that empowers non-government organisations to intervene earlier and work with our young people to identify the early intervention services that they respond to in order to stop them from becoming addicted to drugs.

Expressions of interest for the grants will close on 28 November 2016.